


Human Hugs

by momoxtoshiro



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Lumity, and my favs... HUGS, hello i am here, i had a lot of fuuuunnn doing this one ovo, toh
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-13
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-09 23:33:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27534559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/momoxtoshiro/pseuds/momoxtoshiro
Summary: A small collection of stories exploring Luz and Amity's friendship, and perhaps something more...
Relationships: Amity Blight & Luz Noceda, Amity Blight/Luz Noceda
Comments: 64
Kudos: 478





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I waited so long for TOH to come to Disney+ to watch it and literally the day after I finished I wrote this because Lumity is a blessing and I was not expecting to be given such good content for them ToT
> 
> This was the first idea that came to mind for them, and I needed it to exist immediately.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The Owl House.

Human Hugs

The distinguished members of the Blight family only associate themselves with a select few.

All her life, Amity has been trying to obey her parents' demands and make them happy, no matter the cost. Even when that cost had been her best friend, Willow.

But in starting to keep better company in recent weeks, she's come to realize that not only is such a self-sacrificial lifestyle damaging and painful; it also isn't very fun.

 _Fun_. Something she used to have all the time as a kid, particularly at Lake Lacuna with Willow. After the agony of cutting ties with her best friend, nothing had really been fun again for many, many years.

Until a certain human had popped up, unexpected and uninvited.

And though she'd been wary and distrusting of Luz for the longest time, somehow the endearing energetic weirdo girl has come to grow on her. A lot. Maybe a little _too_ much…

Ever since Grom and the Grudgby match against Boscha, Amity hasn't known how to act around Luz. She's never _liked_ anyone before. Not in the way she likes Luz. She still likes Willow of course, but it isn't in the kind of like where she would've asked her to Grom.

The _like_ she feels toward Luz is… different. Strange. Uncomfortably comfortable. It makes her forget how to talk and breathe and function in general whenever Luz is around. It makes her feel warm and fuzzy, which are things people usually don't enjoy feeling on the Boiling Isles, as far as she knew.

But _she_ enjoys it. Ever since Luz had barrel-rolled into her life and more or less dragged Amity into a slew of insane adventures… she has to admit she's been happier. Much happier than she could ever remember feeling before.

She wants to keep being close to Luz.

She wants to keep going on strange adventures with her.

She wants to be her friend… and maybe more.

But such a thing is easier daydreamed than done.

The first day when Amity is back at school off her crutches finds her suspended in social limbo. Being that she's more or less publicly declared her disinterest in continuing with having anything to do with Boscha and her group, naturally none of them speak a single word to Amity now.

And she's perfectly fine with that; more than fine, actually. She'd meant what she'd said about moving on and growing up to associate with Luz's group - people who were more _morally_ mature. Even if they weren't exactly mature in _other_ ways, but that's beside the point.

Amity would much rather spend her time with Luz, Willow, and Gus now, for a lot of reasons.

But as she makes her way into the cafeteria now, she slows to a stop.

On one side, at her usual old table, Boscha, Skara, and a group of Amity's old acquaintances are cackling and sneering about this or that. And when Boscha turns and catches her eye, she narrows all three of hers before turning away sharply. Amity sticks her tongue out at the back of her pink head before looking elsewhere for a new place to sit.

And of course she finds Luz's trio right away.

They're all laughing - not cackling - a much more genuine sound that stems from joy, not teasing. Amity smiles just to look at them, and her heart does some weird fluttery thing it's been doing a lot recently, mainly around Luz.

She takes a step toward them, a friendly greeting at the tip of her tongue.

But something makes her stop. Even though she's gotten closer to all of them in recent weeks, she still doesn't feel like she deserves to be the one that turns their triangle into a square. After all, she'd hurt Willow, and had been horribly snobbish to Luz at the start, and she doesn't feel that even her more recent changes in attitude toward them had been enough to account for her wretched past behavior.

Her chest feels as though it's been filled with the thick, heavy, putrid slime of an abomination.

And so she finds herself in purgatory, neither here nor there, trapped in a haze in-between. She doesn't want to be here.

So without ever breathing a word to anyone, Amity turns and hurries out of the cafeteria with no idea of where to go.

* * *

"Okay!" Luz says excitedly, dumping out an equal portion of marshmallows from a baggie onto hers, Willow's, and Gus' lunch trays. "In the human world we have this game called Chubby Bunny! It's _suuuuper_ fun! What we each gotta do is keep taking turns putting marshmallows into our mouths one by one and saying "Chubby Bunny" every time until someone can't talk anymore! Whoever is the last person left who can say it without swallowing any marshmallows is the winner!"

"Really? That's a game?" Willow skeptically picks up a marshmallow from her tray and squishes it between her fingers. "Humans are weird."

"Stuffing as many as we can into our mouths at once?" Gus purses his lips. "Sounds hazardous… but I'll try anything once! Let's do it!"

"Awesome!" Luz grins. "I'll go first!" She plucks up a marshmallow from her pile and gets ready to pop it into her mouth. But before she can, she catches sight of a familiar green-haired witch across the room. "Oh, hey! There's Amity! I'll go ask if she wants to join us!"

Luz stands from her seat and prepares to call out to her. But without even meeting her eyes, Amity suddenly turns and rushes out of the cafeteria. Luz's smile melts.

"Amity?"

"Maybe she has something to do," Willow guesses.

"No…" Luz frowns. "She looked upset. I'm gonna go check on her. You guys start a round without me!"

"Roger!" Gus gives her a salute before stuffing the first marshmallow into his mouth. "Chubby Bunny!"

"Hey, Gus!" Willow chides him. "You can't make another one of yourself to split the marshmallows with!"

As they get started with the game, Luz scurries across the room to the exit where she'd seen Amity leave. The hallways are mostly empty in all directions, but Luz chooses a path without thinking and trusts her gut.

"Amity?" She looks all around as she jogs down the corridor, and at first doesn't see any sign of her. But after a few more paces, she spots a jutting corner with no lights on above it. Luz skids to a halt and slowly peers around. "Amity…?"

She's slumped with her back against the wall, her knees pulled to her chest, and her face buried in them. Luz hears a few tiny hiccups come from her before Amity snaps her head up with a gasp.

"Luz!"

There are small tears in her eyes, and even though Amity quickly wipes her face, Luz feels a wave of dismay wash over herself.

"Amity, you're crying! Are you okay? Does your leg still hurt? I know you just got your cast off. D-Do you want me to take you to the infirmary?"

"Huh?" Amity blinks at her, still shocked to see her here. "N-No. That's not-"

"It's okay, I got this. Aaaand scoop!"

"W-Wait, wha-!"

But before she can react, Amity finds herself being pulled into Luz's arms like before, lifted off the floor in one swift (and surprisingly strong) motion. She yelps, having no choice but to cling to Luz's neck and burying her face in her shoulder.

"L-Luz-"

"Don't worry! I'll get you there in no time!"

"Luz!"

Amity lifts her face and finally gets her classmate's attention. Only then does she realize just how _close_ Luz is, and her face turns red and steaming. Amity wheezes out the rest of her words.

"That's… not necessary…"

"Huh? You sure?"

"Yes…" She sighs, looking down at her uniform - anywhere but Luz's stupidly pretty earth-brown human eyes. "It's not my leg that hurts…"

"Huh? So something else hurts? Can I help? What can I do?" Luz frantically bombards her with anxious questions.

And although Amity is actually really enjoying this (again, maybe a little too much), she knows she won't be able to configure anything coherent in this position, so she has to make a request.

"First… you can put me down."

With how twisted-up her thoughts are right now, she's not sure if she feels like she deserves to be close to Luz like this.

Luz blinks.

"Are you sure your leg's okay?"

"It's fine."

"Okay."

But even so, Luz is extra careful about putting her down, and she goes so far as to keep supporting Amity by her arms once she's on her own two feet.

Amity almost smiles at the gesture, but it dies before it can form on her lips. She steps away from Luz, back against the wall toward the shadows.

"I'm sorry, Luz. I didn't mean to worry you or anything."

"It's okay. As long as _you're_ okay… Are you?"

Amity looks down again.

"Yeah. I mean…" She heaves another sigh. "It's just… I don't think I'm friends with Boscha anymore. But I don't exactly feel like I belong with _you_ guys right now either. Especially after I was so mean to you-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Luz puts up both her hands. "Hold your horses!"

Amity blinks.

"I… don't have any horses."

"It's an expression," Luz explains. "B-But what are you saying, Amity? All that's in the past now! Dust in the wind!"

"…What dust?"

"Again, expression. What I mean is…" Luz steps close to her and smiles warmly. "Amity, so what if you used to be a little cold? Look at you now! You've changed _so_ much!"

Amity peeks up at her hopefully.

"I have…?"

Luz nods.

"Absolutely! You're so sweet, Amity!"

Amity turns red again.

"I-I am?"

"Totally!" Luz reaches out to take both of her hands now, squeezing them gently. "Amity, you're _amazing!_ You've helped me a lot and taught me so much! And I've had _so_ much fun with you!"

"Y-You have…?"

"Yes!" Luz's eyes sparkle in earnest. "It makes _me_ sad to see _you_ sad, Amity. I don't want you to feel like you don't deserve to hang out with us or sit with us at lunch just because we had a rocky start. We're past all that! Started from the bottom and now we're here! We're _friends_ now, Amity!"

Luz smiles a smile so bright and honest it actually seems a little blinding. Amity's heart does the fluttery thing again to hear her say that word.

"Friends…?"

Luz had said it to her before at Grom, but hearing it again - and especially now - makes Amity's eyes start to water. She doesn't realize tears are starting to form until she sniffles.

Luz, of course, panics.

"Wha-! A-Amity?!" Luz lets go of her hands just so she can flail her own around. "Wh-What's wrong? Did I say something weird? I'm sorry!"

"No-" Amity chuckles as she wipes her eyes again. "Don't be sorry. I just… didn't expect to hear something like that…" She sniffles a few more times, sighing.

Luz twiddles her fingers for a moment as she waits for her to get her bearings.

"Better now?"

Amity finally manages a smile. A real one.

"Yeah."

Luz smiles back, but she's still worried about her.

"Then… is it okay if I give you a hug?"

Amity tilts her head.

"A what?"

"Oh, right. Human thing," Luz mumbles. "Wait, have I really _not_ given you one yet?"

Amity blinks, shrugging in confusion.

"Huh. Well then I'll just have to start now and make it a good one! C'mere, you!"

Luz opens her arms wide, and for a second Amity is a little startled, simply because she has no idea what to expect. She closes her eyes and winces as if bracing herself for some kind of human-attack.

But what she feels is entirely different from anything she ever could've expected.

It's warm. Really warm.

Luz wraps both arms around her and pulls her in close, away from the corner and the shadows and out into the light. Amity is frozen in place, unsure of what to do with herself. But after a few seconds when the contact really starts to register, she relaxes a little.

But Luz knows this is Amity's first hug ever, and she knows that something so commonplace back in her world is entirely unheard of and unfamiliar here. She doesn't want to overwhelm her.

So Luz pulls away after a few seconds with a hopeful smile.

"There. Was… that okay…?"

Amity has to put conscious effort into not scrambling to pull Luz back toward her again. She just keeps her hands balled up at her sides and tries to remember basic speech.

"Was it… okay?" she parrots.

"I mean, I know it's not really a thing here. I-If you don't like it, I promise I'll never do it again!"

"Never…?" The concept of never getting another 'hug' from Luz again makes Amity's heart sink. She quickly shakes herself off. "N-No! I-I mean I liked it! Well, I didn't _dislike_ it, I mean-!"

Luz perks up.

"So you _did_ like it?"

Amity turns red again. She nods.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Then… do you want another one?"

Amity blinks.

"A-Another? You mean you can do it again?"

"Of course! There's no hug limit! It's not like it's a one-time thing! Endless human hugs!" Luz grins and opens her arms again.

And this time, Amity somehow manages to lift hers up a little too, so when Luz wraps her arms around her sides, Amity slowly folds hers around her shoulders. She swallows, trying to remember once again how to breathe; it was hard enough when Luz was close, but this is the closest she's _ever_ been. Her heart does more fluttering than ever before, and she squeezes her eyes closed, hiding her face in Luz's hair and her cute round ear.

Luz gives her a snug squeeze.

"Hey, you're not a bad hugger yourself, Blight."

"R-Really…?"

"Yeah! Not too shabby for your first time! But hey, if you ever feel like you wanna practice more, I'd be happy to help!"

Amity finds her face is starting to hurt from how much she's been smiling now.

After a minute, Luz eases back slowly and looks her over. Amity blinks down at her own hands, touching her face and then her chest, trying to comprehend the warmth that's still lingering in them. Luz does her best not to laugh at how cute she is.

"You good?"

Amity flashes her a bashful glance.

"Maybe just one more… i-if that's okay."

"Of course!"

This time when Luz hugs her, Amity returns it with equal force and confidence. She has no idea how she'd survived her entire life thus far without hugs. But she's also sort of glad she's never had one before, because she feels she would've wanted her first to be with Luz anyway.

And her second. And her third. And possibly every single one ever for the rest of her life.

When they finally ease apart, both witches are flushed and smiling.

"Thanks, Luz."

"Don't mention it! Now then, come sit with us! I'm teaching Willow and Gus this game with marshmallows!"

Luz takes her by the hand and goes off rambling about the bunny game as she leads Amity back down the hallway.

Amity only half-listens to her words though, as she's much more focused on the grip at her hand. She squeezes back and follows along beside Luz, already having to resist the urge to ask her for yet another hug. Just thinking about it makes her giddy.

Maybe she'll ask again after school today, and again tomorrow morning.

But for now, Amity walks with Luz and smiles at the fluttering in her chest.

* * *

**A/N: I loved writing these two, especially their dialogue! Like Amity taking every human expression literally afskadjf. But most of all I needed to share a potential version of their first hug. I definitely think Amity would just be a complete adorable baby, not knowing what to do or thinking there was a limit and that she could only have one hug or something precious like that. The idea of her being sad it was over, only to have Luz tell her "we can do it again if you want!" and then Amity just lighting up like "really?" simply melts my heart.**

**And of course Amity then asking Luz for hugs all the time after that. Every day, at every chance she gets. She can't sleep at night cuz she wants another hug, stuff like that. And Luz just thinks she's so precious and loves giving her hugs and making her happy ;w;**

**Anywho, I hope you enjoyed! Please let me know how I did with them! And you can probably expect to see more Lumity from me in the future!**

**Please leave comments or kudos!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Luz is feeling down, Amity pays her a visit and ends up learning about even more strange human things...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so people made me very aware that Lumity did already have a brief canon hug BUT this is specifically for comfort purposes, okay? Okay.
> 
> Also kinda wanted this chapter to connect to the first one, but as for the time it takes place... somehow this will be after chapter 1 if you can allow the drama of the finale episode not to be present in last chapter, but accept that it's discussed here ahaha (again, my main focus is the comfort, not the exact accuracy of canon events).
> 
> This is for chucklebrotherz because literally, I can't even begin to express how much he has supported me over the years, so dedicating some fluff to him is the least I can do.
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The Owl House.

Chapter 2.

It's only been two days since Luz had destroyed the door to the human world and discovered some not-very-cool truths about the Emperor.

She's spent a lot of time in her room since then, just thinking about her mom; the life she's supposed to have just left behind for a summer had now possibly been left behind forever.

Luz shakes herself off as the depressing thoughts surface yet again, and she begins pacing.

"No, no, no! I can't think like that. Like Eda said, this is a world of magic, for crying out loud! There's _gotta_ be some other way to open up the portal back to the human world. And even if there isn't, then we'll _make_ one. I'll get back home, it's just… maybe later rather than sooner…"

She sighs, pausing at her window. She doesn't want to keep thinking about this right now, but she doesn't exactly feel like she wants to go out and galavant around the Boiling Isles again just yet when she knows the Emperor who rules it is a big dangerous jerk. She's stuck wanting to go out and see her friends, _and_ wanting to stay inside and hibernate for a few months.

"Ugh! Why does there always have to be an evil ruler? Why can't there just be fun adventures in another world _without_ all the drama?!"

Luz flops face-down onto her bed and sighs.

It hasn't happened in the past several weeks, but maybe this time when she wakes up, she'll find this had all just been a dream after all…

* * *

Since she hadn't been able to go on the trip to visit the Emperor's Castle, Amity had spent the day of the field trip and the day after pouting around her room.

And when Edric and Emira had come in to try and pamper (annoy) her, she'd been immobilized and helpless against them. They'd ruffled her hair and pinched her cheeks and called her adorable for hours on end, to the point where Amity had more or less willed her recovery to speed up tenfold simply so she could escape the suffocation of sibling affection.

Only a few days ago she'd been cleared by the Blight family healer and gotten her cast removed. She's only been to school one day since then, and that had been the day Luz had reassured her and officially welcomed her to join her friend group. Amity still feels like she needs to do something to thank her for that.

"But what?" she asks herself. "What can I do? Should I write her a letter? No… while that _is_ pretty personal, I feel like I wanna _see_ her. O-Or is that just me being selfish? Ugh!" She grabs handfuls of her hair and messes it up, trying to think of alternative methods.

"Maybe I can cast her a spell the next time I see her? N-No! Isn't that too... romantic? Wait- what? Hah! R-Romance? Where did _that_ come from-?!" She slaps both her cheeks as her face starts boiling red, then gives herself a vigorous shake. "Cool it, Blight! How am I _ever_ supposed to survive being around her in general if I can't even be cool when we're miles apart? Oh, I'm doomed… Wah-!"

Her personal aside is suddenly interrupted by a soft hooting sound and the flutter of wings at her window. Amity whirls around to spot a small, familiar owl outside the glass, titling his head. She blinks.

"The Owl Lady's Palisman…?"

She smoothes out her hair and slowly makes her way to the window. The owl doesn't seem to be frantic, so she hopes it isn't any kind of emergency. Amity pushes open the glass and lets the bird inside.

"Hi there. What-?"

Before she can finish, the owl hoots and flies up to her, revealing a rolled paper in his talons. Blinking, Amity opens her palm as he offers it to her. She gently unravels it to read the scratchy handwriting inside:

' _Hey there,_

_Luz could use some cheering up right now, and we think seeing you might do the trick. Stop by if you can._

_\- The Old Lady'_

Amity blinks a second and a third time, still baffled about what she's holding in her hands and reading.

"The Owl Lady wrote _me_ a letter… about _Luz?_ Luz needs cheering up? A-And they want _me_ to go see her…?" A rush of both concern and happiness floods through her in a split second, but she quickly pushes it down. "No! I can't get ahead of myself. This was just a generic letter. It wasn't even addressed to me. It was probably meant for Willow."

She turns back to the owl on her windowsill for confirmation. But he just gives her a compelling and very certain stare. There was no doubt in his mind that he'd delivered the letter to the correct person.

Amity looks down at the paper, then back up again.

"R-Really…? Me? They want _me_ to go see Luz…?" Saying the words out loud again _finally_ makes her realize their meaning. She gasps. "Th-They want _me_ to go see Luz! B-Because she's upset? Luz is upset? I-I'll go! I'm coming right now!"

Stuffing the letter into her dress pocket, she charges determinedly toward the window, fully prepared to jump out headfirst to get going as quickly as possible-

Until she looks down from the second story of the mansion and sees just how far down the drop is.

"Yeeaaah… Maybe jumping out of a window when I only just got my cast off wouldn't be the _best_ idea… Gosh, that was impulsive. Luz is really rubbing off on me."

The Palisman hoots again, then transforms into a hovering staff. Amity nods.

"Yeah, that seems like a much better option."

She jumps on, and the staff takes her soaring off the property, across the forests, and toward the Owl House.

She tries to steel herself for when she'll have to talk to the bird tube at the door, but by some miracle the staff brings her straight to a window on the second floor instead.

"Oh! I guess since the Owl Lady gave me permission, I don't need to go through the front door."

Amity leans forward on the staff, peering into the window. She sees a nightstand and a human phone sitting there. She gasps.

"W-Wait! Is this Luz's room?! You're just taking me straight to her?! I-I'm not ready yet!" She flounders and fidgets on the staff, trying to fix her hair and her clothes and let the heat drain from her face. Thankfully, the staff waits patiently for her. When she's ready, she draws in a deep breath that only gets stuck in her throat a _little_.

"Okay… let's do this."

The staff brings her closer to the window as she tries to plan out things to say to Luz.

"Just be cool. Should I tell her the Owl Lady sent me? Well, I guess that's kind of obvious since I'm with her Palisman. B-But what do I even say? All I know is that Luz needs some cheering up, but from what? Did something happen on the trip to the Emperor's Castle or- wah!"

The staff has now brought her almost directly against the glass. Amity swallows and reaches out shakily to knock.

On the inside, Luz hears the sound of hesitant tapping and lifts herself up from her pillow.

"Oh man, Hooty, I really don't-" But her jaw drops when she actually looks out her window to see a very different visitor. Luz's jaw drops. " _Amity?!_ " She rushes forward, opens the window for her, and leans out a bit. "Amity… and you're with Owlbert? What are you doing here?"

Amity opens her mouth, coaching herself to give a calm, clear, and cognitive response.

"Ihonestlyhavenoidea."

Nailed it.

Luz blinks at her, and Amity blinks back. After a moment of blinking back and forth in silence, Luz finally offers out her hand.

"Well since you're here, you wanna come in?"

Amity grips the staff in a panic.

"I- what? C-Come in? To _your_ room? With _you_ -?" Her voice gets tangled up and dies in her throat, and every thought in her head and every ounce of self-control she ever thought she had go out the window - maybe literally.

But in contrast, Luz just nods, cracking a genuine smile as she continues holding out her hand.

Amity grips the staff harder so she won't fall off, but after another moment she finally manages to breathe. She reaches out for Luz's hand, and even though she's shaking, Luz's grip is firm and steady.

Luz gives her a tug and Amity hops off the staff, over the ledge of the windowsill-

-and straight into Luz's arms.

"Wah-!" She yelps softly, not sure if this was intended or not. Even if it was an accident, Amity certainly isn't complaining.

 _No, you dummy! You're not here for_ you _right now! You're here for Luz!_

As the staff flies off back to its master downstairs, Amity remains frozen in Luz's embrace for a few seconds, still trying to process everything while her brain is several seconds behind.

"S-Sorry-" she wheezes.

But Luz pulls back with an honest smile.

"Sorry? Why are you sorry?"

Luz's hands are still on Amity's shoulders, and she's smiling, and she's really close-

"I… have no idea."

Luz bursts out chuckling.

"You're such a card, Amity!"

"A card? What-"

"It's an expression."

"You humans sure do have a lot of those..."

"It means you're funny!" Luz explains with a giggle.

Amity's not sure if her heart stops or just beats so quickly that she can't feel it anymore. She has no clue of what to say or do now that she's here.

"So?" Luz asks. "Why are you here? Why were you with Owlbert?"

Amity hadn't been able to decide if she should tell Luz the truth or not, if she should reveal that the Owl Lady had sent for her because she was worried about Luz. But Amity sees no point in lying, and she doesn't want to anyway. Not to Luz.

"Well," she begins, shuffling her shoes a bit. "The Owl Lady sent me a letter…"

"Eda did?" Luz blinks. "About what?"

"J-Just that I should stop by if I had the time." Amity looks at the floor, then musters up enough courage to look up into Luz's eyes again. She chokes just a little bit. "A-And also… I _wanted_ to come… I was actually thinking of an excuse to come see you anyway, and then the Palisman showed up and then-"

"Aww, you wanted to come see me?" Luz beams. "Why's that?"

Amity clams up and turns pink.

"J-Just to, uh… a-ask about the field trip…? What'd I miss?"

But she realizes that was the wrong thing to say. Luz's smile fades immediately, like a light snuffed out by shadow. Her gaze drops to the floor.

"Oh… w-well a lot happened, actually…"

Amity feels as though she's just been struck in the stomach. The dismay of making Luz lose her smile because of something she had said makes her feel sick.

"I-I'm sorry!" she says frantically. "Th-That's not what I-! Y-You don't have to tell me about it! Honest! I don't care, Luz! Let's talk about something else then, okay?" Amity reaches out to take both of Luz's hands in hers, squeezing them gently. Luz looks back up to her and shakes herself off.

"Sorry," she mumbles. "It's just that… a lot happened. Like… a _lot_ a lot. I'll tell you about it, Amity. Just… maybe not today."

"Of course!" Amity yelps, a bit too loudly that her voice actually cracks on the pitch. She slaps a hand to her mouth and blushes. Luz giggles.

Amity sighs, relieved she hadn't made things irreversibly worse. She reels her voice in, back to its normal tone and squeezes Luz's hands again.

"Tell me whatever you want, whenever you want, Luz. Or don't tell me anything ever. Whatever's best for you, okay?"

Luz smiles wider.

"Thanks, Amity. But I'll tell you soon! You're one of the only people I'd trust with this."

Amity smiles back.

"I'm really glad to hear that. But until then… is there anything I can do to help…?"

Luz thinks it over for a moment. "Hm… then maybe a little bit of _this_ -?" She opens her arms and pulls Amity into another hug. Amity flails her hands a bit before attempting to return it.

"O-Oh, these things? Th-The hug things-?"

"Yeah. They help a lot when you've got a lot on your mind." Luz sighs, resting her chin on Amity's shoulder. "Unless you don't like it. If you don't-"

"N- _No!_ " Again, Amity half-shrieks the word. "I-I mean I do! I mean, I don't _not_ like them-! I mean-!"

Luz bursts out chuckling again.

"Right! You said the same thing last time!"

Amity is just thankful that Luz can't see her blushing right now, though she can probably feel it.

After a moment, Luz takes a step back, still wearing a smile.

"Thanks, Amity."

"H-Hold on a second." Amity steels herself again, drawing in another deep breath, trying to be serious about this. "You just… 'hugged' me, right?"

"Huh? Yeah."

"B-But wouldn't it be better if… _I_ 'hugged' _you_?"

Luz blinks.

"I mean, sure. That'll work. If you wanna."

"I do!" Amity pipes. "I definitely do! I mean, not _that_ much, but-! Um…"

Luz just keeps on smiling, waiting patiently for her to figure herself out. Amity straightens up.

"Okay! Here I go! Prepare yourself, Luz."

"Pfff, are you gonna hug me or suplex me?"

"Su-what?"

"Nothing!" Luz grins and takes a step back. "Ready when you are!"

Amity freezes when she actually realizes what she's just signed herself up to do. But it's fine. It's _normal_ in the human world. Luz has probably had thousands of 'hugs' before…

Thinking as much starts to dishearten her a little.

"It… might not be very good…" Amity confesses.

Luz just shrugs.

"Fine by me! And besides, it's not like there's a competition or anything! I'll love any hug if it's from you, Amity!"

Idiot. If she keeps saying stuff like that, Amity's just going to pass out before she can even _give_ her a hug…

Amity draws in a few more deep breaths to get ahold of herself.

"Okay. Here I go. For real this time."

"Ready!"

Amity finally takes a step closer to her now. Luz is just standing there normally, but somehow knowing what she's about to do makes Amity a flustered flushing mess all over again.

All at once, she closes her eyes and opens her arms and folds them around Luz's shoulders, pulling her in tightly. But then she gets worried it's _too_ tight, so she loosens her hold a little. But then that feels too _loose_ so she tightens it just a little bit more.

Luz chuckles.

"What am I, a stress ball?"

"Huh…?"

"Nothing! I like your hugs, Amity! They're different from anyone else's!"

"R…Really?"

"Yeah!" Luz opens her arms too and hugs Amity right back. Amity feels herself turning red again, so she clings tighter to hide the blush.

"So… it's not horrible…?"

" _What?_ What are you talkin' about? It's great, Amity! You're a fantastic hugger! I feel so much better already. Honest!"

Amity's heart flutters; she's getting used to that.

"Th-Then… should I keep going…?"

"Sure! If you want. I sure wouldn't mind…" Luz sighs, slouching against her classmate a little bit and closing her eyes. She's more than willing to let Amity take her mind off of things for now.

And Amity is more than willing to keep hugging her if Luz likes it so much; that makes two of them.

The two witches stay locked in a long, tight hug for a few minutes, long enough for even Amity to start relaxing a little. Luz herself hadn't realized how badly she'd needed a hug right now. She'll have to thank Eda later for sending Amity to come see her, because Amity was just the person she'd wanted a hug from the most, it seems.

But they've been standing for a while now, so Luz slowly brings Amity over to sit down on the edge of her bed with her. Amity, thinking she did something wrong somehow, quickly detaches herself with a gasp.

"I-I'm sorry! Should I stop now?"

"Only if you want to!"

"A-Are you sure?"

"Yeah! You're fine, Amity." Luz grins again and opens her arms invitingly.

Amity exhales as slowly as possible.

_This is bad. If Luz keeps letting me hug her, I might never let go…_

Amity would have no complaints, though.

So she hugs her again, wondering if Luz feels the same kind of warmth she does. She must be doing something right though, because Luz keeps making little giggling sounds.

Luz really is glad Amity had come, and she really does love her hugs. She conveys her gratitude with another squeeze around her friend's back.

Amity smiles, so glad she could be of some help to Luz during a difficult time...

And then, something happens.

Amity can't really explain what it is. It almost feels like a tiny thorn-prick in her side where Luz touches her, only… it doesn't hurt. It's light, sort of, but it still sends a prickle through her whole body.

She can't help but react on reflex at the unfamiliar feeling. Gasping, she pulls away suddenly, breaking the hug. Luz is startled too and lets go of her right away.

"Amity? Are you okay?"

Amity looks down at her side, to the source of the odd feeling.

"I… I think so? I'm not sure…"

"What's wrong?" Luz's voice grows heavy with concern. "I-I didn't hug you too hard, did I? Did I hurt you?"

"N-No, no! Definitely not!" Amity wants to banish any thought that might dissuade Luz from hugging her again. "It didn't hurt! It just… I don't know _what_ it was. But it's gone now."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Sorry." Amity sighs. "I'm supposed to be trying to make you feel better, not worry you more, Luz."

"It's okay! I just wanted to make sure _you_ were okay."

"I'm fine. Are you?"

"Yeah!"

"Okay."

They stare at each other, then blink. There's a smile and an unspoken mutual agreement for another hug. Both witches open their arms again and hold tight.

But the strange thing happens a second time. Again, it stems from the spot where Luz's fingers touch her side, and again Amity gasps. Luz frowns and moves back.

"Okay, I think we're done with hugs."

"N-No!" Amity whimpers. "I-It didn't hurt, I swear!"

"Amity…"

"I'm serious! I-It was almost like… I-I don't know… nice? S-Sort of? I can't explain it. I've… never felt it before…"

Luz makes a pensive expression for a second, putting a hand to her chin.

"Hmm… did it only happen when I touched you?"

"…Yes."

"Where did you feel it?"

Amity touches her side.

"Around here."

"Hmm… Mind if I try something?"

"Huh? Sure, b-but what?"

"Liiiike this!" Luz pokes her index finger lightly into Amity's side. Instantly, Amity jolts and lets out a yelp of a laugh.

" _Hah_ -!" Blushing, she quickly covers her mouth. "S-Sorry! I-I don't know what-"

"Oh, Amity, that's _too_ cute!"

"I… beg your pardon…?"

Luz busts out laughing, holding her sides as she tries to get ahold of herself.

"Aha! Oh my gosh! Miss Amity Blight-" she says bemusedly. "It is my great pleasure to inform you that _you_ are ticklish."

"I'm… what…?" Amity shakes her head. "Is that some kind of _human_ thing? A disease? Is it contagious?"

"Hah! Well sort of, but not in the way you're thinking! Not in a bad way! But it _is_ true that only someone _else_ can tickle you. You can't do it to yourself."

Amity is at a complete loss.

"You're not making any sense."

"Then allow me." Luz holds up her finger again. "May I?"

"I… guess so…?"

So Luz pokes her again - and again, Amity squeaks with laughter. Her face reddens even more as she covers her mouth, while Luz is sent into another spiral of laughter.

"H-How did you do that?" Amity demands. "What _is_ that-? Witchcraft? _Human_ craft?"

"Like I said!" Luz grins. "You're just ticklish!"

"Is that bad?"

"No way!" Luz tries to contain her giggles and give a decent explanation. "Oh man, how do I describe tickling to someone who's never been tickled? Uh… it's like… it's a funny feeling you get when someone else pokes you or touches you a certain way! Different people are ticklish in different places. It's suppose to make you laugh!"

"…Then why are _you_ the one who keeps laughing?"

"That's just because you're so cute!"

"Wha- _huh_ -?"

"Cuz you've never been tickled before!" Luz elaborates. "So you don't know how to react to it! It's adorable!" Luz goes off laughing again, and Amity watches her, completely smitten.

" _You're_ adorable…" she mutters back.

"Wassat?"

"N-Nothing!"

Luz just keeps grinning at her, and Amity can't even be mad about it because she's so cute.

"Soooo~" Luz leans in a little closer. "Do you want me to _really_ tickle you?"

Amity just gives her a more puzzled look.

"You already did… didn't you?"

"Oh, Amity, Amity, Amity," Luz shakes her head. "That was only the _beginning_. The appetizer to the four-course meal!"

"Wait, now we're going to eat?"

"No, uh, never mind! What I mean is, that was just a single poke! You've never experienced a _real_ tickle fight before!"

"A _fight?_ " Amity frowns. "But… I don't wanna fight you, Luz."

"No! Agh-! Why are all the human phrases so misleading?!" Luz face-palms and tries to word it more accurately. "We won't actually be battling. It doesn't mean we're mad at each other or anything." When she gives the explanation, Amity becomes visibly relieved, and Luz just barely resists the urge to hug her again.

_She really is too cute._

"Listen," she goes on. "A tickle fight just means… well, why don't I just show you?"

"Huh? Here?" Amity frets. "If it's a fight - like a witches' duel - shouldn't we do it outside? What if your room gets destroyed?"

"Don't worry! It's not _that_ kind of fight!" Luz assures her, lifting both hands up in preparation to pounce.

Amity slowly leans back.

"Th-Then what-"

"Aaaannd Luz-Attack!"

"What- _Luz_ -?!" Amity shrieks as Luz suddenly tackles her back onto the bed. She doesn't even have time to be stunned enough to turn into a blushing mush of jello before she feels Luz's hands on her sides.

Luz wiggles her fingers, and all the weirdest but warmest sensations shoot through Amity's stomach all at once. It feels like worms or vines or fish flopping around inside her. But somehow, it feels kind of... nice.

She has no hope of stopping the laughter that swells up in her chest and bursts from her mouth. It's such an odd sound, something so unfamiliar to her, that she doesn't even realize it's coming from her own two lips. She giggles and shrieks uncontrollably, and she can't do anything else.

"Wha- w-wait! L-Luz! Wh-What is this-? _Eep!_ "

Luz can't stop grinning. Her face hurts from it.

"Amity! I didn't know you could laugh this much!"

"M-Me either!"

"You're so cute!"

"Wh- _What_ -?!"

Luz just laughs again and continues tickling her, causing Amity to roll around helplessly as the new sensations take over her. Amity goes from giggling to yelping to squeaking - all the cutest sounds Luz has ever heard in her life.

"Who knew-?" she teases. "That the _distinguished_ Amity Blight could laugh like this? So unhinged! So unrefined!"

"H-Hey! You ambushed me!"

"You _let_ me!"

"…Aha-!" Amity can't think of a response quickly enough before she's rendered helpless by another bout of giggles. "N-No fair! H-How do I even defend like this-?" She shrieks with another trill of laughter, and Luz chuckles as she continues tickling her.

"It's no use!" she declares. "Not even the strongest magic can ever hope to combat the power of tickling!"

"W-Wait! Is there really no counter-spell? Eeeep!" Amity rolls over onto her side, hugging herself as more giggles bubble up. "It's true… my energy's being drained… wh-what kind of spell is this…?"

"I told you, it's not a spell! It's a tickle fight!"

Amity can't get another word in now as Luz continues. All she can do is thrash around and squeak. The more Amity laughs, the more Luz laughs.

"It's contagious, all right; the laughter, that is!"

They continue on like that for a few minutes, with Luz poking her every chance she gets while smoothly avoiding Amity's reflexive kicks and swipes. Amity's turned cherry-red, and her laughs are still as cute as the first, even if they _are_ getting a little weaker now.

Amity feels her energy being sapped away because of the fight. Her face is burning and her stomach hurts from laughing so much. It feels super nice, but it's also super embarrassing, but she's also _super_ happy…

"L… Luz…" When Amity opens her eyes again she feels tears in them, but she isn't sad at all.

Luz hears her breathless plea and stops wiggling her fingers.

"Oh, man…"

"Luz…" Amity gasps. "I… I think I'm dying…"

"Oh, nononono!" Luz quickly moves off of her and sits aside. "I'm sorry! I went _waaaay_ overboard, Amity! I was just having so much fun and you were being so adorable I couldn't help myself! You're not dying - this is normal! I promise! Just take it easy!"

At the very least, Amity is relieved to hear that this is a normal result from a tickle fight. But she's so drained she can't even sit up, so she just has to lay there. On Luz's bed. With Luz sitting right next to her, watching her with those stupidly-cute brown eyes of hers…

Amity was already breathless enough as it is, but now she stops breathing altogether.

"I…"

"Amity? Hey, stay with me, girl!" Luz shakes her shoulders gently. "Oh geez, what have I done? Way to go, Luz! First time tickling your friend and it's gonna result in a hospital visit! Eda-!"

"Wait…" Amity wheezes, peeking one eye open. "I'm okay…"

"Amity! Oh, thank goodness you didn't pass out!"

"Not yet…"

"Yeah that's my bad…" Luz scratches her head sheepishly. "I'm really sorry. I got carried away."

In spite of her exhaustion and her bashfulness, Amity manages a smile.

"But… you were having fun, right?"

Luz perks up and smiles back.

"Yeah! It was a lot of fun! Especially to hear you laugh, Amity! B-But I'm done now! No more! So just take some recovery time, okay?"

Amity does as Luz suggests, closing her eyes and breathing manually for a minute. And little by little she does feel her strength coming back.

Luz sits with her hands on her knees like a chastised child until Amity finally gets her bearings and opens her eyes again.

"Amity? Are you okay? I'm _so_ sorry-"

"Luz-" Amity sits herself up and smoothes out her hair and clothes. She puts a hand on Luz's shoulder and smiles. "You don't need to apologize. I'm just glad you were having fun."

"But you're right. That _was_ kind of unfair. You couldn't really defend yourself like that…"

"Oh, don't you worry," Amity smirks. "I intend to master the art of Human Tickling now that I know it exists. One of these days I'll challenge you to a rematch."

Luz perks up again.

"Really?"

"Absolutely. As top student at Hexside, I can't let some human girl best me in a fight, now can I?" She smiles, nudging Luz good-naturedly. Luz chuckles.

"Yeah! That's right!"

"Wait until Ed and Em try to coddle me again," Amity mutters. "I'll show them a thing or two. They'll never see it coming."

"Uh, Amity?"

"R-Right! Sorry." Amity shakes away the thoughts of revenge for now. "A-Anyway… are you feeling any better, Luz?"

"Pfff, who _me_? First I get to be the one who receives your first-ever hug, and then I get to hear you laugh like a little kid? Amity, I'm feelin' _awesome!_ " Luz opens her arms wide and squishes her into another big hug.

And though Amity hasn't stopped blushing for a second since she'd arrived here outside the window, she's also never felt better, or warmer. She's been getting more confident with these hugs as of late, so now she returns one to Luz with full force.

"I'm glad, Luz. I-If there's ever anything you need, o-or if you just need someone to talk to-"

"I know," she murmurs. "Thanks, Amity. I really mean it."

Amity sighs, glad she's gotten her point across.

The two witches stay in their hug for a few more minutes, just enjoying the feeling and the comfort of it. It's something they're both getting really used to now with each other.

At last Luz eases back, knowing that Amity never would, so she has to be the one to do it.

"So," she grins. "Care to join me downstairs for tea? I'll teach you aallll about the _best_ tickling techniques!"

Amity blushes all over again.

"Sure. I'd love that."

"Great! Let's go!"

Luz jumps up from the bed and takes Amity by the hand, pulling her to her feet and twirling with her once.

Then, the two witches head downstairs together, giggling all the while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Listen, I just wanted more hugs, and I wanted something we all know for SURE Amity has never experienced before in canon... tickles. Like... I need this to exist immediately. And I need to know how she'd laugh when she can't control herself.
> 
> And god, Luz saying human phrases and Amity just completely not understanding them is still my favorite thing to write ksjdfhksd
> 
> As for setting up a somewhat-believable excuse to get them in a room alone together, someone suggested Eda writing to Amity specifically to have her come cheer up Luz, so I went with that. I'll write Eda and King properly one day, I swear.
> 
> Really enjoy writing these two! The style I can use for them is simple and humorous and fun! Just... don't be surprised if I make them official girlfriends in this fic at some point, even if it's not in the show (yet).
> 
> Please leave comments or kudos!!


	3. The Fateful Fog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luz finds herself stuck in a mysterious fog, and she isn’t the only one...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm back with another chapter as promised! This idea came to me while looking at prompts. I admit it got a bit long-winded. Sorry about that. Also this is my first attempt at writing characters other than Luz and Amity so let me know how I did with them haha
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own The Owl House.

Chapter 3. The Fateful Fog

It was a pretty typical day at the Owl House (as typical as you can imagine it being with one of the most powerful and cursed witches the Boiling Isles has ever seen, the self-proclaimed King of Demons, a sentient owl tube door, and a lovable nerdy human girl all squeezed together under one roof, that is). But all things considered, it starts out as a pretty typical and almost weirdly-normal day.

So of course, something has to happen.

Luz had spent her morning practicing her newer spells under Eda's guidance, because even though her teacher can't use magic at the moment, she still retains all of her knowledge on the subject and is just as effective through suggestion as she is through demonstration.

Presently, Luz is doing her best to strengthen the effects of her light magic, beyond that of simply a crumpled ball of glyph paper.

"Magic," Eda is saying. "Is all about intent and willpower. It'll follow your instructions based on your purpose for casting it. Or at least it should. Sometimes it just goes completely haywire for no reason, but you get my point."

Luz is doing her best to focus on her spell, trying to envision the tiny ball of light as a larger, more massive orb. She's been trying this for a while now, but she hasn't managed to get it any larger. And now is no different.

"Urrgg c'mon… Be bigger! Like the sun! Or something else big and blinding!" But no matter what she tries, the ball of light remains the same size. After one final failed push, Luz sighs and lets the spell fade. "Man… I just can't get it."

"Don't sweat it, kid," Eda says, giving her a light slap on the back. "Greatness doesn't happen overnight. Unless you're me." She snorts with laughter, and Luz cracks a little smile too.

"Thanks, Eda."

"What I _will_ say," Eda continues. "Is that it isn't always about the size of the spell, but the passion."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't really go into more detail than that," Eda says with a wink.

But before Luz can ask her to elaborate further, King cuts in from where he's been lazing on the couch to observe.

"I'd say forget the light stuff for now. How often are you ever even gonna need a light spell that big? I'd say focus on your ice! Freeze your enemies dead in their tracks! Give them frostbite like nobody's business!"

Luz chuckles.

"Yeah, I'll work on the ice next time. Oh! But actually I just remembered I need to go bring Amity one of my Azura books today!"

Luz scurries off up to her room to grab the book, puts it into her knapsack which she slings over her shoulder, and then hurries back down.

"Okay! I'm going, you guys!"

Eda makes a contemplative expression and rubs her chin.

"Hm… I feel like I should go with you for some reason…"

Luz blinks.

"Why?"

"Not sure. Ah well, it's probably nothing. Have fun with your friend, kid."

"Thanks! I'll be back in a bit!"

And with this Luz is scampering out the door as Hooty hoots goodbye.

King sits up from the couch.

"Soooo… any reason you didn't tell her the little _trick_ for the light magic?"

Eda turns to him with a grin.

"Some things, my friend, are best discovered on your own. She'll figure it out on her own time. But now I'm curious as to why I felt compelled to go with her. I feel like there's something important I _probably_ should've remembered… Any ideas?"

"Heh! Heck if I know! I can't even remember significant events like my family's birthdays! How would you expect me to remember something like the Fateful Fog?"

"Hm, guess you're right."

There's a moment of silence where both of them dwell on random thoughts. Then, a second later they both gasp and look back at each other.

"The Fateful Fog!"

But by then, Luz is already well on her way to the Blight mansion.

* * *

It isn't that far of a walk from the Owl House to Amity's place, probably twenty minutes tops, if that. And Luz had taken off well before sunset, so she has plenty of time to get there and back before dark.

But now that she's walking alone, it's all too easy for her thoughts to nag at her. She pulls a paper glyph from her pocket and tries her light spell again.

"Aaaand bigger! Be huge! Be _ginormous!_ Be so big you eclipse the sun!"

But not even her valiant commands do anything to make the flickering ball of light grow any bigger. It just remains floating there in her palm the size of a golf ball. She sighs again.

"I wonder what Eda meant, that it isn't always about the size of the spell, but the passion… I'm passionate, aren't I? Who's more passionate about this spell than me? No one else even _uses_ paper glyphs, so how could _anyone_ else be more passionate about them?"

There has to be more to it that she just isn't seeing yet. She feels like it's right at her fingertips but she just can't grasp it quite yet…

"...Huh?"

Luz is pulled from her thoughts now when she realizes an odd change in the environment. It's the same tame woods she's always walked through, but looking at her light spell had made her fail to realize the sudden lack of natural light. She cancels her spell and looks around, only to find it's suddenly gotten way darker than it should be. And way foggier.

"What the…? Where'd all this fog come from?" And it isn't like a normal fog, either. Instead of a misty or even a thick white cloud, this fog is dark gray. "Whoa. Never seen anything like this before…"

Luz turns around to look the way she'd come, but is startled to find she can barely see two feet in front of herself anymore. The trees she'd just passed by have been swallowed up, and no matter which way she turns now she can't see anything but gray.

"Uh… this is probably normal, right? Just stay calm, Luz. Nothin' to worry about. You'll be at Amity's place before ya know it and then the two of you can secretly fangirl all evening till this weird fog clears up. Sounds like a plan." Just the thought of seeing Amity makes her smile, even in spite of the fact that she might be in minor peril. "I can't keep her waiting. That'd be _so_ uncool."

So with a new determination ablaze in her chest, she casts her little light spell again and lets it float in front of her to guide her path through the fog.

A walk that normally should've taken her twenty minutes turns into thirty, because she finds herself face to face (literally) with a tree just about every other step.

And then it takes her forty minutes because she ends up walking into a huge spiderweb, which calls for a _lot_ of unintelligible shrieking and flailing and more collisions with trees.

Then it takes her fifty minutes because she nearly steps on a baby owl that had fallen from its nest, and has to struggle to hold it against her chest while climbing the tree in the haze of the fog, following the sounds of the distressed mother until she can safely deposit the baby back into its nest and jump back down.

And just like that, Luz has found herself lost in this thick fog for nearly an hour now.

"Great. And I don't even know which part of the forest I'm _in_ cuz I can't _see_ my own hands! I could be right at the edge of Amity's place, or right back at Eda's for all I know! Ugh…"

With a glance at her little ball of light, she tries again to pour her passion into it, intending to make it bigger so it can light her path more effectively. But just like before, it remains the same puny size, floating like a glowing cotton ball.

"Well," she sighs. "Guess I just gotta keep going till I get outta the woods at least, even if it's on the wrong side." She just feels so guilty about not getting to Amity at the time she'd promised. "She was probably so excited to get her hands on the new Azura book," Luz sighs.

And of course what she doesn't yet realize is that Amity would have been infinitely more excited to see _her_ than to get the book, but that isn't something that occurs to Luz.

"Ugh, that's the worst! When you're super excited for something and it just doesn't happen. Or when you're waiting for someone and they just don't come…"

It hurts to imagine Amity in her room brewing with quiet, barely-controlled anticipation for their little rendezvous, only for her spirits to be falling more and more by the minute. Now that Luz is over an hour late, Amity must be totally deflated.

"She's gonna think I forgot!" Luz wails. "Or worse, that I don't care! Ugh, this is the worst! Why can't this stupid fog just go away?"

She tries to dash forward to cover some ground, but almost immediately is stopped by another tree just inches from her nose. She groans and kicks the trunk in frustration, then gasps.

"Sorry. It's not your fault," she says, patting the tree. "I just hope Amity's okay…"

Luz continues on, miserable step by miserable step, going super slowly so she doesn't crash into anything else, talking out loud to keep herself sane.

"Gosh… I just feel awful… I'll have to make it up to her next time I see her at school. _If_ I can ever get out of this weird fog, that is…" It seems to be getting thicker and darker by the minute now, and her little ball of light seems to be doing less and less to help. "Haha… well I mean at least nothing _crazy's_ happening, right? No giant monsters or random explosions or- waaah!"

Luz scrambles back when there's suddenly a random explosion not too far ahead of her. She can't see much other than a flash of fiery red for a second before the dark fog takes over again. Frazzled, Luz clings to the nearest tree.

"Ooookay, cool. Just great. Maybe I _don't_ go that way…" So she shuffles around her tree as quietly as possible before choosing another random direction and trying that way instead. "Just gotta get out alive, that's all. Piece of cake…"

She walks super slowly for a few more minutes until she hears movement from somewhere nearby. She pauses and waits for a second, but doesn't see any fire this time.

"Okay, no explosions. That's an improvement!"

She's quiet, listening for the noises again so she can accurately pinpoint and avoid whatever it is that's there. But by now the fog has become even thicker and darker, and her light is dwarfed in comparison.

"Okay, maybe- waah!" She whirls around when she hears another rustling sound from behind, or at least what she _thinks_ is behind. She really isn't sure anymore. But while her hearing might be thrown off, she can at least see the shadow of a figure through the fog, though she can't make out what it is. Slowly, Luz picks up a stick for self-defense.

"I got this… Just give it a good whack, knock it out, and run for it! On one… two… Luz Chop! _Haaaaah_ -!"

With her weapon raised high above her head, she charges forward, (miraculously doesn't run into any trees this time), and swings right as she reaches the suspicious shadow. She feels the _whack_ of the impact, feels the stick snap, and then-

" _Agh_ -!"

-hears the familiar cry of pain…?

There's a thud and an _oof_ as Luz pauses instead of making a run for it. Squinting, she moves her ball of light forward to find her victim - who just so happens to be a _very_ familiar witch, clutching her head with a moan.

Luz gasps. "Oh my gosh! Amity!"

She drops to her knees right away and takes one of her classmate's hands. Amity continues rubbing the sore spot on her head with the other hand for a second until she can open her eyes again.

"Wh- Luz?!"

"I-I'm so sorry!" Luz cries. She offers her other hand as well, and once Amity comprehends what's going on, she slowly accepts it. Luz helps her to her feet, dusting a leaf off of Amity's shoulder. "Heh, why does it seem like this exact same thing has happened before?"

"Because it has."

"Oh. Right. I-In any case, I'm sorry. I didn't know that was you, Amity! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine for now," Amity says, giving her forehead one more rub. "But if it keeps happening, I might get a concussion."

"Sorry. What are you _doing_ out here?"

Amity blinks, puzzled.

"I was looking for _you_ , Luz! You were calling out for me! I've been trying to find you for at least twenty minutes! Thank goodness you're okay."

"What? I wasn't calling for you," Luz says.

"...You weren't?"

"Nope. Well, I mean I was talking to myself and your name came up a few times and-"

"It did? M-My name?"

"Yeah! I was just thinking how I was _so_ sorry for not bringing you the Azura book on time. I didn't want you to think I'd forgotten. I _was_ coming to see you, but then this fog started and now I've been lost for an hour!"

"An _hour?!_ " Amity yelps, looking her over fretfully. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah! I'm fine. I just wanted you to know I was sorry."

Amity softens, (as if she hadn't been soft enough already at the mere sight of Luz), and takes her hand to give it a squeeze.

"It's fine, Luz. Getting lost in this ominous fog is an entirely valid explanation."

"But were you sad?" Luz asks.

Amity glances downward briefly.

"A little bit. Actually a lot…"

"Oh, Amity… C'mere, lemme make it up to you!"

"Wait wha-aah!"

With one swift movement Luz pulls Amity into a big hug. Amity freezes, heats up, and melts all at once. But she's gotten a least a _bit_ more used to Luz's surprise hugs over the past few weeks, so she's able to react within a decent amount of time by hugging Luz's shoulders.

"Thanks, Luz... But it's okay. I was just so worried when I heard you calling for me. I didn't know what was going on. I rushed out of my house and the next thing I knew I was lost in this fog. I tried casting fire magic to send out a flare."

"Oh! So that was you?" Luz pulls back in surprise. "Phew! Glad it wasn't some rampaging demon or something."

"No." Amity smiles at her, then glares at the fog around them. "But I might just turn _into_ one if we don't get out of here soon…"

"Tell me about it. I've tried everything! It just never seems to end… But at least we've got each other now! I'd _much_ rather be lost with you, Amity!"

Amity blushes, but knows now isn't the time for that, so she quickly shakes it off.

"Me too… But anyway we've gotta think of a way to get out of here."

Luz puts a hand to her chin and makes a pensive expression, humming in deep thought for a moment before a spark of inspiration strikes her.

"Oh! How about marking our trail? Like Handsel and Gretel! Though I don't think I have any bread crumbs..."

Amity looks at her as if she's speaking a different language.

"Whosel and Whatzel?"

"Oh, aha it's an old fairytale. What I mean is we can use stones to mark our trail, or put markings on the trees or something!"

"We could..." Amity scans their surroundings - which is nothing but fog - but doesn't seem hopeful about the suggestion. "But when we can't even see right in front of us, I'm not sure if marking the trail will be of much use. We'd hardly even be able to tell which direction to go in if we re-crossed our path."

"Oh, yeah you're probably right... Well, what if you marked the trees with fire magic? That'd be noticeable, right?"

Amity raises an eyebrow.

"Really? You want me to mark _trees_ with _fire_ and then walk away and leave them unattended?"

"Oh... good point..."

The two of them take another moment to think over their options. And this time it's Amity who perks up.

"Oh! Luz, did you try your ice magic?"

"My ice? Oh! Great idea! If we can't go forward, we'll go _up!_ C'mere!" Luz waves her close and puts and arm around her, and again Amity has to fight herself calm when she blushes. Luz pulls an ice glyph spell from her pocket and lets it flutter to the ground at their shoes.

"Hold on tight!"

"You don't have to tell me twice…"

Amity's mumble is drowned out by the massive pillar of ice that begins to form and heave upward from under their shoes. It lifts them up high through the fog, and Amity really does have to hold on tight so they don't slip.

"Woohoo!" Luz cheers. "Yeah, baby! Up we go! Now we'll be able to see over this dumb fog!"

But even after a moment of the ice taking them up, the visibility doesn't get any better. Neither witch can see anything other than fog, not even the treetops below or distant mountains beyond. Only Luz's tiny ball of light provides something to see by, and Amity realizes just how close she is to Luz and ends up getting a little lightheaded for more than one reason.

"Uh, Luz? I think we can stop now. It's kinda getting hard to breathe…"

"Huh? Oh yeah, I guess the air pressure and stuff."

"Right. The air pressure."

"Ugh, I really thought this could work. Okay, I'll take us back down."

All the while as the ice shrinks and carries them back to the ground, Amity has to look away from Luz so she won't pass out from being so close to her for so long. But the rush of the movement, along with the altitude and the fact that she'd been whacked on the head pretty good earlier, all culminate as they finally make their landing. As the ice melts away, Amity feels an ache in her head and sways.

"Ah-"

Luz feels her sag and quickly pulls her in close.

"Whoa! You okay?"

"Yeah… just a little dizzy. But I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Luz gives her that concerned puppy-dog look that makes Amity's heart do that stupid fluttery thing again. She chokes on a breath and nods stiffly.

"Yeah…"

"Okay. But maybe we should hold hands so we don't get separated. This fog is really thick." Luz takes her hand, and Amity almost squeaks, but just barely manages to hold it down.

"What else can we do?" she wonders. "It doesn't seem like our usual magic is helping much."

"Hmm… welp, we have a saying back in my world: once you're halfway into the woods, you're halfway out!"

"Uh yeah, isn't that obvious? So what does it mean, then?"

"It means we just go straight!" Luz explains. "As long as we keep going straight we're bound to get out of the woods eventually - and out of this fog! So straight it is!"

Amity scoffs. "Straight… right… Well, I'll do my best."

"Onward!" Luz starts to charge straight ahead, but of course smacks directly into a tree. "Du-wah!"

Amity sighs again.

"This might take us a while."

So the two witches set out together, hand-in-hand, guided only by Luz's tiny ball of light. It's very stop-and-go, with Amity doing most of the stopping after Luz initiates most of the going.

Amity spends a great amount of time yanking Luz away from another tree before she can give herself brain damage. But as the minutes pass on and on and on, she's starting to feel the effects of the many dizzying events she'd endured within the last half-hour, like the accidental Luz-Chop.

"Ugh. You really pack a punch, you know that, Luz?"

"I'm really sorry!" Luz says. "Should I kiss it and make it better?"

Now, of course this is a very common thing that humans say to other humans whenever they get hurt in the human world.

But in the Boiling Isles, such a phrase to warrant that kind of action in this kind of situation doesn't exist.

And on top of it being completely unfamiliar, Amity is also very much interested in Luz in a romantic kind of way. So for the idea of kissing or being kissed by her to be so suddenly thrown into the conversation while they are walking lost in the middle of the woods causes quite the reaction from her.

First, she skids to a halt dead in her tracks, and all intelligible thoughts are simultaneously erased from her mind as she stands there gawking and blushing like a fish out of water.

"I… wh… you…"

Next, fragments of words start to form as she speaks, but she can't really be sure how she's talking because she can't remember how to.

"You… I mean… you… what-?"

And finally, her dumbfoundedness increases to such a level that she takes a step back in her baffled state, a step that finds the earth crumbling beneath the heel of her boot, which then causes her to teeter backward with a shriek-yelp.

"Wh- _Whaaa_!"

Luz is so puzzled by Amity's extreme reaction that she doesn't fathom what's happening quickly enough to tighten her grip on her friend's hand. Amity slips right out of her grasp and goes tumbling out of sight into the dark fog.

"Whoa- A-Amity!?" Luz rushes forward so she won't lose sight of her and finds herself stepping on the edge of the small ledge that had claimed Amity's balance. Luz manages to stop herself in time and prevent the same fate of falling, and instead crouches down to slide along the slope.

"Amity? A-Are you okay? Oh gosh-" With her light to guide her, Luz is beyond relieved to find that the ledge is very small, probably only two or three feet high, and she knows Amity must be right there.

"Amity? Amity?" As she reaches the bottom, Luz's shoe meets with Amity's, and with a "gyah!" Luz goes tumbling forward.

"Luz-? Luz-?"

And just as Amity is about to push herself up from the rough landing, she finds herself getting squashed back down to the ground as Luz comes tumbling down on top of her.

And this one _really_ does her in.

As soon as Amity realizes what's happened, and that Luz has currently flopped directly _on top of her_ , she believes she can actually feel her soul leaving her body.

Luz, on the other hand, is in a state of panic much less severe, and after moaning for a second, she quickly sits back with a loud gasp.

"Waah! Amity!"

Amity can't really tell if she's even alive anymore. For all she knows she'd died and gone to 'heaven' or whatever. But thankfully, wherever she is, she can still hear Luz's voice calling for her.

"Amity!" Luz squints through the fog and uses her light to grab hold of Amity's hands and slowly sit her up.

Amity's actually almost thankful for the fog because it's helping to hide how ridiculously red her face is. But when she looks at Luz, no words come out, and she just stares at her in a stupefied panic. Luz grabs her shoulders and gives her a light little shake.

"Amity? Talk to me, girl!"

It takes her another good second, but eventually Amity shakes herself out of her stupor.

"Huh-? L-Luz-"

"Yes! Oh thank goodness you didn't pass out or get amnesia or anything. Are you okay? How many fingers am I holding up?"

"Uh… It's hard to see through all the fog… four?"

"Wrong! It's five! I'm holding up all five! Oh no, she's blind-"

"Luz, your thumb isn't a finger."

"Huh? Oh… I guess that's fair. Okay, so you're not blind?"

"Not any more than you are in this fog."

"Phew! Okay, that's good!" Luz grins a big, dopey, relieved smile at her, and Amity feels woozy all over again. "Anyway, sorry about that," Luz says. "I should've kept hold of you better."

"No…" Amity wheezes, trying not to sound so stiff. "It was my own fault. I wasn't thinking… at all."

"Been there, done that!" Luz chuckles.

The sound of her laughter makes Amity equal parts mushy and strong. Being around Luz is a constant swap between being in a state of unceremonious panic or pleasant delight, but sometimes, like now, it's both at once. Amity smiles back and admires her laughter for a second before Luz finally gets to her feet.

"All right! Let's keep going! We _gotta_ be close to getting out, I just know it!" She offers down her hand, and Amity accepts.

But only as Luz is pulling her up to her feet does Amity feel the pang go up her ankle. She's on her feet for half a second before falling forward with a strained gasp, but luckily this time Luz is quick to catch her.

"Whoa! Easy!"

Amity grabs onto Luz's arm to keep herself steady, hopping on her good foot. When she blinks, her nose is just inches from Luz's, and her mind goes blank all over again.

"Ah…"

"Oh no, did you hurt your ankle?" Luz frets. "The same one? You only just recovered from the _last_ time you hurt your leg!"

"I… ah, yeah-" Amity puts her foot back down experimentally, but the same sharp pain returns and she instantly lifts it again. She sighs. "Seems like it. Great… just perfect…"

"Well," Luz offers. "At least there are no monsters chasing us or anything!"

" _Luz_ -!"

They're both silent for a second, expecting monsters to come barging out of the mist now that Luz has gone and said that. But miraculously, nothing happens. Amity lets out a huge sigh of relief. Luz grins.

"See? No monsters! Hm, but there's no way you can walk like this anymore… I'll just have to carry you."

"I- what-?" Amity yelps, trying her best to ease away from Luz's arms. "Oh, th-that's not necessary. I can walk- er, hop. I'm serious, Luz. I'm fine."

"Oh no ya don't!" Luz holds firmly to her arm and shoulder so Amity can't hobble off. "Amity, I mean it! I don't mind! I'd much rather carry you than make you walk like that all the way out of here. If you push yourself too hard you'll just end up in another cast for the rest of the month."

"I mean yes, b-but I-"

"Don't sweat it!" Luz grins. "It'll be my pleasure! And besides, it's also kind of my fault you fell, isn't it?"

"No it wasn't!"

"Then consider it my apology for Luz-Chopping you. Again."

Amity tries to think of a comeback. She really does. But it's painfully (literally) clear that her only option is to give in and accept Luz's offer, because her ankle really does hurt now when she puts pressure on it, and if she were to limp back with her like this it'd take them weeks to find a way out.

Luz smiles as she waits patiently for an answer. Amity just tries not to overheat as she gives it.

"Then I guess… there's no other way…"

"Atta girl! Okay, so which do you want; princess carry or piggyback?"

"P-Piggyback-?"

"An excellent choice!" Luz decrees. "Since the sun's probably set by now it's starting to get a little cold, so this'll help us both keep warm!" Before Amity can even catch up to the present moment and configure the meaning of what's being said, Luz turns around and drops into a crouch. "Climb aboard, m'lady!"

Amity staggers, having no choice but to rest her hands on Luz's shoulders and lean over her.

"L-Luz, are you-"

"Positive! A million percent positive!"

Amity hesitates for a moment, swallowing hard as she looks down at her. Luz is still grinning, genuinely eager to help her like this. Amity considers that at least if she travels on her back, Luz won't be able to see her blushing. So she draws in a deep long breath, and the lets it out as a sort of wheeze.

"Okay…"

Amity closes her eyes as she slowly leans herself forward, wrapping her arms around Luz's neck. Luz moves her knapsack to let it dangle over the front of her shoulder out of the way and reaches back to secure her legs, letting Amity move at her own pace and situate herself however is most comfortable for her.

The hardest part for Amity by far is easing herself forward until her chest is pressed against Luz's back. She's a little bit shaky as she does so, and stiffens when she finally manages to rest against her fully.

"I-Is this okay-?"

"Yup! Perfect!"

"I'm- not too heavy?"

"Pssh, _you?_ _Heavy?_ Even my weak nerd arms have no problem carrying you, Amity!" She laughs again, and Amity counts her blessings that Luz can't see her face, which she promptly buries into her classmate's shoulder. Once Luz is ready to stand up, she checks on her passenger. "You good?"

Amity just nods, keeping her burning face hidden in Luz's hair.

"Okay." Luz sticks her tongue out a little in her concentration as she stands, making absolutely certain not to jostle Amity's injured foot. She gets up without a hitch, hunching forward just a bit to accommodate the extra weight. With an accomplished sigh, she tilts her head back over her shoulder.

"There we go! Comfy?"

Amity just nods again, burying her face deeper. Luz chuckles and turns to face forward.

"All righty then! Off we go! But slowly!"

She wants to be absolutely certain not to step off any ledges or walk into any trees now with Amity to look after. Luz walks very cautiously, letting her light spell float just a foot or so ahead.

The fog seems like it's only grown thicker now that the sun has gone down. If not for the fog, she could've moved a lot more quickly and gotten them out of the woods to get Amity treated in no time. But as things are, she's forced to go super slowly.

It takes Amity a few minutes to compose herself enough to look up again, but when she does all she sees is fog. She turns so she's looking at Luz's round ears and the side of her face instead.

Luz has got this determined look in her eyes now, the kind that always makes Amity feel stronger just by looking at her. She knows her heart is definitely pounding and that Luz can definitely feel it, though, which just makes her all the more embarrassed. Even more so when Luz tilts her head and catches her eye with another smile.

"How's the ride?"

Amity chokes and buries her face in Luz's hair again.

"Fine-! Perfectly fine!"

"Great! If you're uncomfortable or anything just lemme know. I wish I could say this won't take long but we're not outta the woods yet..."

Amity blinks. "Yeah. That's kind of obvious."

"Oh, agh, it's an expression! I didn't mean that literally. Well, actually maybe in this case I did..."

Amity giggles softly and Luz grins, glad the mood has been lifted a little bit.

They continue the slow pace for several minutes, with Luz carefully avoiding every tree and bush and root. Amity hates that she can't do anything to help; while Luz is doing all the work, Amity is doing nothing but breathing in the scent of her hair. She hates feeling so useless, but she can't think of anything she can possibly do to help in this state.

They continue on in relative silence, and at the very least they don't hear any strange noises or run into any weird creatures.

But before much longer, the amount of time they've spent lost in this fog starts to become evident.

Amity can hear Luz holding back grunts of effort now, and she knows she must be getting exhausted from carrying her.

And Luz can hear Amity biting down little whimpers, so she knows her ankle must be hurting more.

After a few more heavy footsteps and a few more heavy heartbeats, both girls lock eyes and ask at the same time:

"Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Luz blinks. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine! Don't you worry, Amity! I'll get us outta here before you know it!"

"I know you will," Amity says gently. "But don't push yourself too hard, Luz. If we have to stop and spend the night, we'll figure it out."

Luz nods her agreement, but she wants to avoid that outcome if at all possible.

They trek on, guided by the tiny ball of light that just seems to be getting dimmer and dimmer as the fog darkens. Luz has to slow down even more just so she can make sure of her surroundings before every step.

Amity can't do anything but worry about her. She can tell Luz is starting to struggle now, and she doesn't miss it when a shudder runs through her. Amity just barely keeps her own shivers to herself for the moment now that it's gotten so dark. She knows Luz is really focused, but she can't stay quiet any longer.

"Luz…?" Her voice is soft with worry. "Are you cold?"

Luz pauses for a moment to get her bearings.

"Who, me? Nah! Well… maybe a little…" She squeezes Amity's legs a little tighter.

Amity hugs her a little harder too, willing her warmth to spread out and share. She'd cast a fire spell if she could, but she doesn't want to attract unwanted attention, and if she just held the flame in her hand it would be dangerously close to Luz's face. So all she can do now is hug her and will some of her own warmth and strength onto her.

"I'm sorry, Luz. I wish I could help…"

Luz had already started smiling from her embrace, tilting her head sideways a little to brush against hers.

"Hey, you don't have to apologize."

"But… I feel like such a burden-"

"You're not!" Luz cries. "Absolutely not! Please don't think like that, okay?"

Amity sighs, slouching against her back and hiding her face once again. Luz nuzzles her hair a little.

"You know what you are, Amity? You're _super_ warm. And your hugging skills have definitely improved since the last time I've seen you! It's _just_ the fuel I need to get us past the home stretch outta here! We're so close now; I can feel it!"

Amity slowly lifts her head again; no matter how depressed she's feeling, she can't help but smile at Luz's tenacious positivity.

So she's determined to do her best in keeping Luz warm as they continue on through the darkness. Amity rubs her hands over Luz's shoulders and across her neck, sharing every bit of heat she can muster, in spite of the fact that her injured ankle has already gone numb from the ache.

 _It's nothing_ , she tells herself. _It doesn't even hurt. What matters most right now is making sure Luz is okay._

And Luz greatly appreciates her friend's efforts. She really does feel a lot warmer thanks to Amity, which allows her to keep taking another step forward. But she also knows Amity is in pain by how she keeps flinching every few seconds. Luz bites her lip in frustration.

_Come on! If I could just see better, I could have us out of here in no time! Amity's hurt. She needs to rest. And she's shivering so much! I just wanna get her back safely…_

Luz closes her eyes for a second as the desperate thoughts fill her head.

_I just want her to be okay! I just wanna get her out of here-!_

Suddenly, she hears a gasp of her name.

"Luz!"

Amity's voice is right beside her ear, but it isn't scared. Rather, it sounds almost… hopeful.

The second Luz opens her eyes again, she understands why.

A clear, bright light has suddenly spread through the air, so strongly that it melts away the darkness of the fog in seconds. Luz and Amity can see every tree, every bush, every inch of the forest now as if it were the middle of the day, not the middle of the night. Luz's jaw drops, and she can sense Amity is just as stunned.

"Whoa! What's happening? What _is_ all this?" Luz looks all around for an answer. But once she meets Amity's gaze from over her shoulder, she's surprised to hear it from her.

"Luz," Amity says. "It's _you_."

" _Me_ …?" With a gasp, Luz looks back to her light spell. The tiny floating ball is now bursting with light and power. It's so radiant Luz can hardly look at it. "Whoa! No way! How did _that_ happen?!"

"I'm not sure, but I don't think now's the time to question it."

"You're right!" Luz says. "Now that I can see, I can get us out!"

Making sure she has a good hold on Amity, Luz hurries forward. She swerves around the bushes and brambles and skirts around the mud puddles, trying to go quickly, but not _too_ quickly for Amity's sake.

Amity clings to her, still pouring every last shred of warmth she has into the hug, giving it all to Luz.

Luz won't take it for granted. She lets Amity's feelings fuel her, rushing through the trees until at last there's a break in them.

"There!"

Luz hurries the final few strides toward the Owl House, passing the tree line just as her light spell finally wears off. With one final flash, the light vanishes, and the proper darkness of night settles back in. And the thick fog that had coated the forest is nowhere to be seen anymore.

Luz looks around in shock for a moment as she catches her breath, amazed they'd actually made it. Amity gives her a squeeze.

"Luz…? Did… Did we actually make it…?"

Luz lets out a huge sigh.

"I think so…" She looks up, glad to see no more traces of the fog. The sky above them is clear and full of stars. "Thank goodness… Amity? Are you okay?"

"Yes. Are you?"

"Yeah."

They meet each other's eyes and smile. Amity rests her chin on Luz's shoulder one more time, letting out a long sigh.

"You did it, Luz. My fearless champion."

She isn't exactly sure what happens next.

She really doesn't think about it, nor does she really feel like she's in control of herself as she does it, because there's absolutely no way she would ever be able to even _fathom_ \- let alone actually manage - such a thing.

But as Amity's cheek is brushing against Luz's hair, her lips just _might_ come to press slightly against her cheek.

Just a little. Barely anything, really.

Luz isn't even sure if she feels it, or if she's just imagining things.

But she _thinks_ she feels it, and she _thinks_ it feels nice.

But before either of them can say or do anything else, a loud, annoying, yet oddly-comforting voice calls out.

"Hoot Hoot! Luz spotted! Oooh! And she brought a guest!"

"What?! Where?!"

Luz feels weak with relief at the sound of Eda's voice, and even more so when she sees her teacher come rushing toward them now with King at her heels.

"Luz!"

"Eda!" Luz rushes over to them in a fluster. "Eda! It was crazy! There was this _suuuper_ thick fog that came outta nowhere! And then I found Amity and she said she heard me calling for her but I wasn't calling for her at all cuz, like, I didn't even _know_ she was in there, b-but then she fell and she's hurt but then my light spell-"

"Whoa, whoa! Easy there, kiddo," Eda says, patting her head. "Clearly a lot happened, but ya got home safe, so that's the most important thing. Lemme patch up your friend and you can tell us all about it inside."

Luz nods and crouches down to carefully let Amity off for a second before Eda scoops her up again. Amity blushes and looks down at her lap as they all head back to the house.

Eda sets Amity down on the couch and wraps up her swollen ankle, while Luz sits beside her and tells them everything that happened that evening.

"It was so weird! But somehow my light magic worked! Like it _really_ worked! It got super bright and it lit up the _whole_ forest!"

Eda smiles.

"So ya figured it out after all."

Luz blinks.

"Figured what out?"

"Remember what I said earlier about magic? It's not necessarily the _size_ of the spell-"

"-but the _passion!_ " Luz gasps. "The passion! And the intent behind it!"

"Exactly. Since you felt so strongly, your spell got just as strong."

"And what I felt strongly _about_ was…" Luz tapers off as her eyes wander back to Amity. Once Amity realizes what she means, she blushes.

"Y-You wanted to get us out of there-"

"I wanted to protect you…"

There's a beat of silence as the two young witches stare at each other.

But Eda feels they've both learned enough tonight, and anything else would be best saved for another time.

"Okay," she cuts in. "Who wants some dinner? I bet you kids are starving."

"Yeah!"

"Yes, please!"

Luz and Amity reply in unison, then chuckle.

"Oh!" Luz says. "Can't forget the reason behind all of this! The Azura book!"

"Oh! You're right!"

Luz digs into her knapsack and pulls out the book, then opens it in her lap for Amity to share.

"So in this part…"

As the two of them excitedly flip through the pages, Eda turns to head off to the kitchen.

"King, come with me, will ya?"

"Huh?" He scurries along after her until they're out of earshot. "What's the deal? Aren't you gonna tell them about the Fog?"

"That's not necessary," Eda replies. "They got out of it and that's all that matters."

"Ah yes," he says wistfully. "The Fateful Fog! Every one-hundred years, the Fateful Fog descends on the Boiling Isles, and anyone caught in it who's ready will encounter their soulmate! The fog will play tricks on a person, like mimicking the sound of their soulmate's voice to lure them in! Pretty exclusively-romantic stuff!"

"I'm just glad it's harmless," she grunts. "The only thing that happens is… well, the fateful stuff. And that'll only happen for people who are ready for it. If you're not ready to meet your soulmate in the fog, you just come out the other side like nothing ever happened."

"So… if Luz and Amity found each other in the fog, doesn't that mean-?"

"That's not our business," Eda stops him. But when she looks back over her shoulder to the two girls sitting on the couch giggling together, she can't help but smile. "Anyway, they don't need to know all that right now. They'll figure it out eventually." She turns back to the kitchen and picks King up under one arm. "Come on, then. It's chow time."

"Yeah yeah yeah! Let's make some grub!"

As Eda and King get started on the cooking, Luz and Amity continue their excited discussion of Azura, laughing and gasping and sharing their theories.

And more than once, the memories of tonight, the meaning behind Luz's light magic, and the warmth of the maybe-kiss cross their minds.

But all of that can be saved for another time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: There you have it! My little 'soulmates' piece. Honestly, I wanted some piggybacks and fluff. And I hope it's not getting stale, but I think writing Amity's gay panic and her cluelessness about human things is still my favorite to write lol
> 
> I hope you enjoyed, and please let me know how I did! The next chapter will come right off of this one!
> 
> Please leave comments or kudos!


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